Laurie pumped herself up before going back to the table, having hid in the bathroom for the duration of the silent auction. She had to put her emotions aside. Raising money for the kids at Limitless was more important than her feelings for Finn. Before long, she would have to get up on stage and model that jewelry set with a smile on her face. She was going to look so ecstatic that every single woman in that room would be clamoring to have those diamonds around their necks and on their fingers.
Fortunately, when she arrived, Finn wasn’t at the table.
“What happened to my boss?” she asked Jerome.
“He said he had to make a phone call.” Jerome picked at his fingernails. “We had an interesting conversation.”
“About what?”
He lowered his voice. “I may have accidentally told him we were siblings.”
“That’s a disaster,” she rasped, in a loud whisper. “We can’t tell anyone yet. The press will have a field day.”
“I don’t think he’ll give it away. But it was a good thing I told him. Get this… he thought we were dating, and that I might be your abusive ex-boyfriend.” Jerome gave a forced laugh. “I set him straight, though. And you won’t have to find a new job either. I told him he ought to appreciate you, and he said he does. Who knows, you might even get a raise. So everything will be great, now.” He had a smug smile. “You can thank me later.”
Laurie’s stomach twisted up like a drawer full of old electrical cords. “I can’t believe you,” she hissed. “You had no business interfering.”
Finn must think she was the most pathetic person on the planet. How could she even face him?
“I was only protecting you.” Jerome pushed out a pouting lip. “You needed someone to stand up for you, and I did it.”
She leaned close to his ear, with barely controlled rage, struggling to keep a neutral expression on her face. “Let me tell you something, brother. If you’re going to get married, you’d better learn this lesson right now. A woman doesn’t want that kind of protection from a man. She wants support. That means you make the decision together. You don’t get to do whatever you think is best, without asking.”
As luck would have it, Finn picked that moment to return, forcing Laurie to end the conversation before she’d discovered everything her brother had said. Finn was extremely solicitous, confirming her worst fears—he now viewed her with pity. When she shivered from the cold draft on her bare shoulders, his tux coat came off and slid onto her shoulders. Her blood burned, not from the warmth of the jacket, but from his scent, which clung to it. Then he disappeared and came back with a cup of steaming coffee that she accepted, despite her pride.
She wanted to despise him for hurting her. As with her father all those years, it was so much easier to respond to pain with animosity. But his considerate actions, combined with everything she knew about him, made the task impossible.
Who said “there’s a thin line between love and hate”? What a stupid idea. I’m ruined forever.
As the live auction began, Laurie smiled and clapped, watching the Limitless coffers fill in dramatic fashion. Hopefully, no one could tell she was dying on the inside.
Evidently trying hard to make up for his misstep, Jerome bid enthusiastically on the Bach tour. But Laurie didn’t return his eager smiles as the price went higher and higher. She’d half-hoped Finn might surprise her and bid against Jerome, according to her original defective plan. But he sat quietly with his hands folded in his lap, smart practice when you don’t want a stray movement to be mistaken as a bid. When the price went over $100,000, Jerome shrugged and mouthed, “Sorry,” bowing out of the auction. The bids continued to rise between an older gentleman Laurie didn’t recognize and an anonymous bidder on the internet. At last the old man surrendered, making the price the highest of the evening, at $165,000.
The auction continued for the next hour, each item increasing in value. As the time approached for her to model the diamonds, she became increasingly more nervous, pressing her hands together in her lap and turning the ring around her finger until her skin was almost raw. Her head began to swim like it did in the airport, until Finn beckoned her close with a crooked finger and whispered in her ear, “Have you noticed that bead of sweat on top of Chuck’s head?”
“What?” The question caught her off-guard.
“Look.”
He nodded toward the auctioneer, who was sweating profusely under the bright spotlight. A large drop of sweat was suspended on a wrinkle near the top of his forehead. Unable to tear her eyes away, she watched with morbid fascination as the shiny liquid quivered on the ridge and then began a slow downward trickle. It paused on top of his eyebrow for a moment, then dropped down to his cheek and continued its trek. Finally, it reached his chin and plummeted through the air, landing in a puddle at his feet. An actual puddle!
She covered her hand with her mouth to keep a giggle inside, noting a new drop had already formed on his forehead.
Finn leaned close to her ear again. “We hire Chuck for every auction event, and he sweats like this every single time.”
Laurie knew they had paid to fly him to the fundraiser.
“Why?” she whispered back.
“Because he also volunteers at one of our teen camps.” Another drop of sweat splashed to the floor, as Finn continued, “A big heart makes up for a little sweat.”
She knew the comment was meant to help with her nerves, and part of her didn’t want it to work. But it did. And she loved him for it, even though it hurt.
Chuck announced the jewelry set, and she rose to her feet, surprised when Finn stood with her. He lifted the tux coat from her shoulders and slipped it on, before tucking her left hand in his arm. As he walked up the steps with her and across to the center of the stage, he joked about avoiding Chuck’s puddle. By the time he left her to stroll across on her own, her knees had stopped shaking.
“Tell us, Laurie,” Chuck said into the microphone, “how does it feel to wear those Avanza diamonds?”
He approached her where she stood, diamonds sparkling under the hot lights, and pointed the microphone at her mouth. Laurie gave him a genuine smile. “I feel like I’m worth a million bucks.”
Chuck’s laughter shook another drop of sweat to the stage floor and he swept his arm toward her in a grand gesture. “There you have it, gentlemen. Here’s your chance to let your lady know what she’s worth and change the lives of hundreds, maybe thousands of kids at the same time. Now what am I bid?”
He started his auctioneer chatter, so fast Laurie couldn’t understand the words. As the bidding went on, Laurie was called down to the floor level so that bidders could inspect the jewelry more closely. The price went sky high, with several internet bidders competing as well. Then the auctioneer announced, “Going once, going twice… Sold to bidder number 517 for $1,245,000!”
Amid the claps and cheers, Laurie removed the jewelry and handed it to the assistant, surprised to feel bare without it. She risked a quick glance at Finn, but he was already preparing to make the final acknowledgements to close the event, except for the music and dancing to follow. As he took the stage, achingly handsome in his tuxedo, her heart got stuck in her throat. How could she have even dreamed he would love her the way she loved him? What would a man like Finn Anderson ever see in a woman like her, other than a diligent, passionate employee? Looking back, every word and action, even that fateful kiss he’d resisted with such persistence, had the singular purpose of keeping her at a distance. To protect her. If only he’d had the guts to tell her the brutal truth, she might not have fallen for him so hard… so deep.
The next two hours she worked her tail off, discarding her blistering pumps to pad around in bare feet, hiking the hem to avoid stepping on it. She was so busy handling the payments, arranging for delivery of the auction items, and directing the cleanup efforts, she only had time for a hasty goodbye when her brother left. But she kissed his cheek and promised to call, having already forgiven his well-intentioned interference. When she finally dragged herself out, it was well past one a.m.
On her way to the elevator, she spied Finn at the front desk, bowtie loose, tux coat thrown over his shoulder. She could see his exhaustion in his posture as he propped his weight against the desk. Part of her wanted to march to the front and take over, sending him up to his room to rest. She couldn’t help worrying whether he’d done too much too soon after his hospital stay, putting his health at risk. But she reminded herself it wasn’t her job—Finn didn’t want her meddling in his private life. Why did it hurt so much to admit it?
Raw and drained, she collapsed against the back corner of the elevator, watching the numbers light up. All she could think about was surviving until the next day, so she could escape the nightmare. Finn would be flying home via private jet, and she was free to ride back on the train… a cross-country trip, three blessed days with no reminder of her pain.
Maybe when she returned to New York, she could find a new job. It wasn’t quitting—it was a fresh start. She’d learned, long ago, she couldn’t count on anyone but herself. So why was she being forced to face that lesson all over again, with almost every single relationship in her life? Only Stephanie had been a constant, faithful friend. Maybe it was a different lesson she needed to learn… one of forgiveness and letting go of expectations. Three days alone would give her plenty of time to contemplate. But would it be enough time to get over Finn?
CHAPTER 18
Laurie slipped away from the hotel early the next morning, avoiding any chance encounter with Finn. His first phone call came in shortly after she arrived at Union Station. But she wasn’t prepared to talk to him—mentally or emotionally—so she turned off her phone. In her master plan, she would compose a letter that night on the train, apologizing for what she now understood as intrusive actions that had put him in an awkward position. But for now, thinking about Finn tore her stomach up.
